


pockets full of stones

by cerie



Category: Sanctuary (TV)
Genre: Bathtubs, Blizzards, Cuddling & Snuggling, F/M, Foxes, Lake Champlain, Vermont, Were!Fox AU, lake monsters
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-11-01
Updated: 2012-11-01
Packaged: 2017-11-17 12:13:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,206
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/551453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cerie/pseuds/cerie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The sounds of her laughs are drowned out by kisses and the howling winds.</p>
            </blockquote>





	pockets full of stones

**Author's Note:**

  * For [windandthestars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/windandthestars/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Until I Wrap Myself Inside Your Arms I Cannot Rest](https://archiveofourown.org/works/518365) by [windandthestars](https://archiveofourown.org/users/windandthestars/pseuds/windandthestars). 



> For Lisa, for Halloween :)

So lay me down  
Let the only sound  
Be the overflow  
Pockets full of stones  
Lay me down  
Let the only sound  
Be the overflow

 _What The Water Gave Me_ by Florence + the Machine

***

Will thinks that the best time to go looking for lake monsters in Vermont is in the middle of the summer and not in the middle of a late autumn snowstorm that looks suspiciously like it’s going to turn into a blizzard. He isn’t fond of snow as a human and hates trudging through thick drifts and sinking down hip-deep when he hits an unseen dip in the terrain. He’s also not fond of the way it stings when it blows into his eyes and wishes he had the foresight to bring sunglasses the way Magnus had. She’s not having any problems at all though eventually the blowing snow will take her down too. She’s immortal, not invincible.

Will has an ace up his sleeve and while he knows it will net him annoyance from Magnus, he’s tired of being _cold_. His furrier side has better ways of temperature regulation and he’s willing to trade focus and higher thinking to just be warm again. It will never get old, the strange shift of muscles and skin to rearrange himself from man to fox again and once he’s completely shifted, he scampers around Magnus’s feet and weaves in and out between her legs. She stops and stares at him and while some of her words are drowned out by howling winds, the rest are far away just because he’s less than human. The tone seems annoyed, though, so he dances for her for a moment until her tones go higher pitched and happier.

If he concentrates, he can make out what she’s saying and make sense of it, so he does. She’s asking him to keep out from beneath her feet, not wanting to crush his tail beneath the webbing of a snowshoe, and Will is happy to comply with that request. He skips ahead, feet light on the snow, and Magnus gathers his clothes up and zips them into a plastic bag before tucking the wet, sopping mess into her bag. The tiny, human part of him hopes it doesn’t leak. The bigger, fox part of him just doesn’t care.

When they reach the lakeshore, it’s frozen, and Magnus eyes it warily before tilting her head toward Will. She wants him to try it, lighter on his feet, and he’s happy to oblige even though the wind is biting and cold. He steps out onto the frozen surface and skips a bit when it seems solid, paws skittering across the ice. He hears Magnus laugh and decides to perform a little more for her, doing figure 8s and loop de loops through the snow-covered ice and it takes only a split second before he knows he’s in trouble; while it’s frozen, it’s not frozen through.

His tail and back end have fallen through the ice and he’s scrambling with his front paws to get back on the surface and back to solid ground. Magnus doesn’t seem to care that she’s heavier or that she might fall in too because she’s right there, stretching across the ice and reaching for him. She tugs him out easily and he’s never been so grateful for anyone in his life. His natural instinct is to burrow as close to the warmth as he can get and while Magnus zips him into her parka, he’s still not warm enough and shivers against the soft wool of her sweater; the down can’t warm him when he’s still wet.

It’s a long trek back to the bed and breakfast and Magnus doesn’t acknowledge anyone once she walks in. They’ve only been allowed to stay on special permission (it’s off-season), something about her knowing the original owner of this house back in the 19th century, and she makes her way up the stairs from the darkened parlor and into the spacious bedroom that had once belonged to the lady of this house.

She deposits him in a chair, clearly unworried about his scent ruining the upholstery, and runs a bath in the other room. The idea of being wet is distasteful but Will knows it’s the best way to warm him and presumably he needs to be human again for it to work; he doesn’t want to shift until he can go directly into the warm water because it’s _cold_ and his fur is all he has right now.

When Magnus comes back, she’s wrapped in swath of deep green silk that Will knows all too well. It’s a replacement since he ruined the original but it’s something that Magnus only wears for him. She picks him up from the chair and nuzzles an affectionate kiss between his ears before carrying him into the bathroom and nodding toward the bath. The tub is iron and antique, claw-footed, and Will concentrates on how good that’s going to feel when he shifts back into human form.

“Ah, there you are. In you go,” Magnus says, the worry lines on her brow easing a bit when he follows her instructions and slides into the hot water. There’s a little steam rising from the surface and, unlike other baths with Magnus in the general vicinity, there’s no frou frou bubbles or girly scents. Just clean, pure water and it’s exactly what Will needs. Magnus looks a little uncertain, standing beside the tub and fiddling with the belt of her robe and when he can feel his extremities again, he motions her close.

“Come here? Share with me?” He shifts back just enough so she can slide in and once she’s settled in the bath, he tugs her close back against his chest. He rubs his hands up and down her arms, more soothing than warming. 

“It’s not your fault, Magnus. Don’t even play that with me.” She doesn’t say anything but she doesn’t have to - Will can feel the guilt coming off her in waves. He dips his head and kisses the slope of her neck. “Don’t. Worry. About. It. You didn’t know the blizzard was coming and you damn sure didn’t know the lake wasn’t frozen enough to take my weight.”

The latter, maybe she should have extrapolated. It hasn’t been cold enough to freeze over and it’s only October, Halloween. There’s no reason the lake shouldn’t have held his tiny fox frame, though, and that isn’t something she should feel guilty about at all. He’s surprised it held up well enough to hold her weight but he guesses it was still shallow enough there for her to stand up, if need be. Less danger as a human.

“If we’re going to find the Abnormal, it’s not going to be in this weather. Might as well call the whole trip a wash. What’s worse is that we’re going to end up stuck here for several days considering this storm.”

Will laughs lightly and slides his hand up to cup one of her breasts before burying his face against her neck. “Not a complete wash. You’re due for a vacation.”

The sounds of her laughs are drowned out by kisses and the howling winds.

**Author's Note:**

> The bed and breakfast featured in this fic is [The Inn at Shelburne Farms.](http://www.shelburnefarms.org/comevisitus/inn.shtml)


End file.
